The Falk Family Blog

FRIDAY
MAR
19
2:59 pm
1
comment

Random Snapshots

Here, Isaac is sporting his new stick figure t-shirt. He and Ethan recently went through a phase where they loved to draw stick figures and watch videos of stick figures on the computer. They usually used two different colored markers and drew a good guy team and a bad guy team battling it out.

I love our cul-de-sac! Always someone for the kids to play with. Lots of boys! I see many future football, kickball, baseball, etc. games being played in the cul-de-sac.
Cuddling with Mickey
Isaac’s idea of “playing outside.” When I got on him for playing the DS and not playing outside, in all seriousness he replied, “But, I AM playing outside.”
Playing in the woods, collecting sticks (skicks) for fighting the bad guys, and eating a snack just wouldn’t be the same without a great brother to share it with. These two are so close!
THURSDAY
FEB
11
5:11 pm
4
comments

I’m pretty sure we’ll have snow until June!

We got our big snow of the season! Warren and the boys shoveled the driveway and put each shovel load into one big pile creating a snow mountain. It has provided lots of entertainment for our boys and some of the neighbor kids too. I’m sure we will be the last house in the cul-de-sac with snow in our yard.

Soon, Warren won’t need to be shoveling at all!
Austin, Halle, and Isaac
Silly boys!
“Weee!!!”
King of the mountain!
The boys were thrilled with their snow days! Ethan got two days off and Isaac got three days off due to a 2-hour delay with no AM Kindergarten. School tomorrow and then a 3-day-weekend!
FRIDAY
JAN
22
3:04 pm
2
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Enjoying a Mild Jaunuary Day

The boys were thrilled to play outside! Isaac couldn’t wait to ride his bike for the first time in a couple of months. Ethan was at school when I took these pictures, but he got his chance to enjoy the weather as well.
Isaac was so sweet and patient as he tried to teach Lincoln how to use his peddles.
MONDAY
JAN
4
11:23 pm
3
comments

Welcome 2010!

Warren 31, Lynn 29, Ethan 7, Isaac 5, Lincoln 2
WEDNESDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
30
4:26 pm
2
comments

The Crib Comes Down

Just this week after 8 years of (pretty much) constant use the time came to take the baby crib down. I admit to shedding a few tears. It just seems strange there isn’t a need for it anymore.

We replaced it with a big boy bed for Lincoln. It was our gift to him on his 2nd birthday.
MONDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
28
8:54 pm
4
comments

Christmas Morning!

Get comfortable…lots of pictures!
Lincoln was the first to wake up. At 6:15 I heard him open his bedroom door and run into the boys room. He climbed in bed with Ethan and I listened for a moment as they talked and cuddled. Soon, (we had to wake Daddy) we headed downstairs with three very anxious, bright-eyed, smiling boys! The stockings were opened first.
“Forget the pictures, Mom! Lets open the presents!”
Our tree-shaped cinnamon rolls were very tasty. They are a lot of work without a bread machine. Warren really likes them. The boys would probably like the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls just as much and it sure would be a lot easier!  Hmmm…very tempting.
Isaac enjoyed exploring with his new binoculars.  While we were testing the binoculars out, Lincoln had some plans of his own…
Caught you red-handed!
I have been wanting a new blender for some time. Now I can make smoothies again! Thanks, Hun, for listening to all of my hints.
Little Critter books for our little critter.
Three rubber band guns…what have I done?  (Turns out they don’t work that well and the boys are much more interested in the Nerf guns)
Lincoln needed Daddy’s help to open his gigantic gift!
Oh how fun!
I love this picture because Lincoln looks so small. :)
Ethan lost his pocket knife and was very happy to get a new one!
Here’s a picture of Lincoln’s “Are you sure this isn’t real?” face.  Lincoln thinks spiders are fascinating, especially if they aren’t real.  So when I saw this remote-controlled tarantula I thought it would be perfect for him.  He was really excited when he first saw it – we gave him the remote and he pushed the button a couple times and the spider moved and he seemed to enjoy it from a distance… that is until he approached it, squatted down, and just as he stuck out his little hand to pet it, accidentally squished the remote between his leg and belly, which pushed the “go” button.  You’d have thought it bared its fangs and hissed as fast as his hand snapped back and he darted away in reverse. He hasn’t played with it since…
Wait! I need a picture!
My Willow Tree family. Perfect for our family. :)
Ethan and Isaac agree that their Gogo’s Crazybones was the best present! Most people have never heard of these, they are just starting to catch on in the United States.
So tired after a long (fun!) day.
Here Ethan and Isaac are playing with their Gogos.  Each of these is just a hard plastic character.  They can trade them and play several different games with them – it’s a little like marbles with faces and feet.  They have books that rate each one for its speed, bounce and balance of all eighty different gogo characters.
SUNDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
27
10:54 pm
5
comments

Just a few more hours!

What a good feeling to be finished with all the preparations! My back hurt more at the end of Christmas Eve than it’s ever hurt before. I was on my feet in the kitchen for more than 12 hours! Not to mention all the other things that needed to be done in order to have a relaxing (lazy!) Christmas day. So much work, but so worth it to give the boys a memorable Christmas.
SUNDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
27
10:31 pm
3
comments

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we allow the boys to each open one gift.
While watching “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” Lincoln became fascinated with the  Abominable Snow Monster. He asked over and over, “where he go?” if he wasn’t in a particular scene. I happened to find this at CVS and knew I had to get it for Lincoln! It  roars like a monster and then sings a nice Christmas song. Lincoln slept with it the first night and carries it all around. I think it’s at the top of his favorite Christmas gifts list! Don’t you just love finding the perfect gift?!

Isaac liked his micro remote-controlled car. But, I’m not so sure it’s still up and running.

Don’t be deceived…he may LOOK like he’s patiently waiting his turn to open a present. It’s tough being the oldest!
He opened his Nerf  key chain, a gift from Isaac.
Twas’ the Night Before Christmas
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
26
5:48 pm
2
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Christmas Time is Near!

Sunday before Christmas Day.
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
26
5:45 pm
6
comments
WEDNESDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
23
4:35 pm
4
comments

Let it Snow-Man!

We were fortunate to get just enough snow for playing on a Saturday morning.
We only had baby carrots, but lots of bananas!
Lincoln enjoyed his hot cocoa from the warmth of the house as the snowman was being put together.
Watch out, Daddy!
Isaac and his “Ice-ball!”
Isaac gave Lincoln a little push down the hill on his very first sled ride.
I think he liked it!
Isaac’s turn.
Aren’t they angelic?
Monster Lincoln had fun running around trying to scare us.
WEDNESDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
23
4:18 pm
4
comments

Winter Fun Night

We went to the Beach Water Park’s winter festivities.
Lincoln really enjoyed the animals. It was his highlight for sure, along with the pony ride.
I have a picture of Ethan with this same horse from two years ago.
This is Isaac’s very first time ice-skating and about my third time. He loved it and impressed us with his determination!
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
11:49 pm
2
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Handsome Guys

Pockets, Mommy.
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
11:20 pm
7
comments

Holiday baking (and sampling!)

Cut-outs are always fun with the boys. They look forward to it each year and despite the mess, I do too!
Here is some of the sampling I was talking about…
Ethan is getting very good at decorating!
What a mess! But, worth it, I guess.
They taste even better than they look! :) Really, I keep them in the freezer and eat one (sometimes two!) before bed every night!
again more sampling…
Lincoln helped me make the oreo truffles.
I woke up at 5:00 AM to make fresh chocolate chip cookies for Warren to take to work. (Major  “wife points” for me!)
Cookie trays that I made  for a couple of families.
What a relief to be finished with so much of my baking! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy baking, but I like to space it out a bit more!
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
2:58 pm
4
comments
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
2:54 pm
4
comments

Aunt Lisa’s Visit!

Cuddling with Aunt Lisa during movie night.
Aunt Lisa gave each of the boys a webkinz stuffed animal.
Bring on the popcorn!
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
11:28 am
2
comments

Festive Christmas Photos

The winning picture for our Christmas card!
Mickey enjoyed the warmth of the fireplace, but wasn’t too thrilled with the Santa hat.
Annual photo with Santa! Lincoln was very nervous when Mommy placed him on Santa’s lap and walked away. Fearing Santa was his new babysitter, he cried. Once Warren reassured him that Mommy wasn’t going anywhere, he calmed down. But, his worried expression never left his face! When Santa asked what the boys wanted for Christmas, Ethan and Isaac both said “A Nerf gun.”  Lincoln said, “nuff gun.”
Ethan and Isaac are hilarious this year when they talk about Santa! They say things like, “There’s no way Santa can be real.” or “Santa is just a ordinary man, he doesn’t have flying reindeer.” or “Mom, IS Santa really real? Because I don’t think so.” They seem to want to believe in the magic of Santa, but they both know better and aren’t fooled by it.
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
11:19 am
4
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Cul-De-Sac Progressive Chirstmas Dinner

Our 2nd annual neighborhood Christmas dinner was a success. We decided on a progressive dinner so we could see different houses decorated for the Christmas season. Our house was the dessert stop.

We had a huge variety of dessert. This is a picture of the cookies I made. We also had a pumpkin roll, brownies, hot pumpkin bars, and a few more things I can’t remember!
The kids wrote letters to Santa for the Make a Wish Foundation.
The gift exchange was the highlight for sure! Ethan was happy with his new football, Isaac got a spy watch (and told us the time about every 5 minutes for the rest of the night!) and Lincoln got a set of cars with lights and sounds. The adults had a separate gift exchange and played a game where you could choose to steal a gift from someone.  Warren ended up with a $20.00 gift card to Target (which he gave to me! woohoo!) And I got a throw blanket that matches my living room and  a back massage pillow. Not too bad!
Oh look, proof that they love each other!
Little Lincoln!
SATURDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
19
10:36 am
1
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Decorating the Christmas Tree

Ethan and Isaac were so cute decorating the tree this year. Ethan clumped all of the “Ethan” ornaments into one big blob.  Several branches had more than one ornament and some had none. And the boys stood back and looked so proud!
TUESDAY
DEC
- 2009 -
15
10:06 pm
5
comments

Thanksgiving in Knoxville

Isaac is taking a sample from Grandma.
The three boys were just sitting and watching Grandma get ready for the big dinner, so she put them to work! ;)
Ivy and Isaac being silly.
Ethan and Annette hiding under the table.
So inviting!
The Eimers’ kids made these festive treats.
Grandpa slicing the turkey. The meal was delicious! I always look forward to it and I’m never disappointed!
Lincoln and Jude. (Not sure what the necklace is all about…) These two played great together. They really seemed to interact and work together to empty Grandma’s pantry!
Reading, “Duck is Dirty.”
The boys (especially Isaac) kept asking Grandma to save the wish bone.  He was particularly excited about making a wish and seeing if it would come true. Ethan just wanted to play along and win. Ethan ended up winning and Isaac was very sad. Isaac had wished for a math book like the one Ethan had. Ethan didn’t make a wish.  After seeing how sad Isaac was, Ethan decided to give his math book to Isaac to make him happy. This is HUGE for Ethan! I told him I was very proud that he chose to make his little brother happy. He quickly left the room and I found him upstairs crying. Apparently he was upset that he no longer had a math book.  This is a side we don’t see from Ethan very often! It was good to see him show such an act of kindness to his brother.
We had a very nice time in Knoxville. The kids always look forward to Grandma’s house!
SATURDAY
NOV
- 2009 -
7
10:49 pm
2
comments

Trick-or-Treat!!!

Our little monkey (pretty cute, I might add!) and our two soldiers!
Halloween turned out to be so nice outside! We kicked off the night with a cul-de-sac pot luck dinner.
Warren did an awesome job painting Isaac’s face! Ethan was not interested in the paint. I even offered to give him a dollar if he would let us do it.
Lincoln was so proud of his black nose. He kept pointing to it and smearing the paint, but he surely looked adorable.
A close-up of Isaac.
No, silly boy, you’re supposed to eat the candy…
The cul-de-sac crew! It keeps growing!
Lincoln’s first piece of candy!
The boys were on a mission! Lincoln was far more excited to pull the wagon than get candy…
The boys favorite stop, Mr. Abney! He never disappoints Ethan and Isaac!
Warren calls this the “floating head” picture. He says I look like some kind of Photoshop disaster!
Haha! One evening when our almost 3-year-old nephew, Owen came to our house he was a little disturbed by this pumpkin. He wanted to save the little pumpkin! So cute!
Here they are glowing nice and bright!
SATURDAY
NOV
- 2009 -
7
7:20 pm
2
comments

Pumpkin Carving

Playing hard/working hard, whatever you want to call it.
The boys actually liked the “goo” this year! That’s the best part about carving pumpkins, after all!
Scoopin’ the seeds for Mommy.
Lincoln watching Mommy.
Hmmm…this looks strange.
Our jack-o-lanterns!
The boys and the pumpkins.
I love this picture. Lincoln looks a lot like Ethan here.
We had jack-o-lantern pizza for dinner one night!
Lincoln and Isaac in their Halloween t-shirts.
SATURDAY
NOV
- 2009 -
7
10:00 am
1
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Community Helper Day

Isaac’s class came dressed as their favorite community helper. (Isaac was a police officer because that’s the costume we already had, he wanted to be a doctor) Turns out, there were 9 doctors in the class! He was glad to have been something different. My second favorite of the day was “Baker Baker.” Her last name is ‘Baker’ and she chose be a baker for the day. She also brought everyone a pumpkin cookie. The kids each stood in front of the class and told about their community helper. (Poor doctors…after the first few there was not much left to say for the rest!)
Lincoln was so excited to see Isaac in his costume! He kept trying to take his hat and put it on. Luckily, we had another costume in the dress-up bin for Lincoln to wear! He felt so big and important!
*
Isaac and Ethan on Halloween 2007…
SATURDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
31
7:42 am
3
comments

Happy 2nd Birthday, Josie!

Our good friends little girl recently turned two and we had a good time at her party! Isn’t this picture precious?
Isaac attempts what turned out to be the impossible ring toss game. :) He ended up “winning” a pop.  We made him trade it in for sprite at he wasn’t too happy about that…
Ethan and Isaac played the blame game, but one of them was responsible for tangling the apple strings. Warren worked for a good long time to fix it.
Look at the size of Isaac’s mouth!
Balloon pop.
Lincoln gives Josie her gift. He felt so special. :)
She loved her baby.
So refined… guess we had better work on that!
Lincoln held the balloons on the way home. He kept saying, “Mom, hi!” as he looked through the balloon.
Ethan’s loot!
THURSDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
29
9:16 pm
3
comments

Falk Family Fall Fun on the Farm!

We enjoyed a chilly, but beautiful Fall day at the farm. Ethan went a little early with his friend, Stevie to the corn maze. He met up with us after the hay ride.
Isaac wanted this pumpkin, of course!
Our two little guys together while we wait patiently in the freezing breeze for Ethan to return to us.
“Where’s the camera?” … “There it is!” At least he was looking this time :)
Taking more pictures while waiting for Ethan.
Yay, Ethan is back! Such special guys. I’m sad they are getting so grown up!
Yum! The pumpkin cookie was definitely a highlight…especially for Isaac who inherited mommy’s terrible sweet tooth!
Our family all together enjoying a lovely afternoon. We are so blessed!
THURSDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
29
2:45 pm
1
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Fun with Stevie

Stevie (our neighbor and Ethan’s best friend!) enjoyed playing in the leaves.
THURSDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
29
2:39 pm
1
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Random…

Cuddle-time with Ethan on his sick day from school.
Ethan
TUESDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
13
3:41 pm
1
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Our Precious Children…cute as can be!

Issac (age 5 1/2) , Ethan (age 7 1/2) , Lincoln (age 21 months)
Enjoying a gorgeous Fall day.
TUESDAY
OCT
- 2009 -
13
3:34 pm

Just for fun

Ethan and Mickey cuddling one afternoon after school.

Josie and Lincoln. They are getting so big!

Lincoln wrestling Isaac. One of their favorite things to do!